After its 100-year mark has passed, the First World War has been revisited with much more detail in the past years. The global extent, impact and constant media attention of WII left the prior conflict on a second level of attention. After its conclusion, films regarding the war were all over the place, while WWI films became scarce, basically having one big film about it once a decade for the rest of the 20th century. As the conflict’s aspects have now been explored to a greater depth, The Great War is generally known as a terrible episode in human history where fear, trauma, and bloodshed were taken to a massive scale. As the new century rolled in, the European emperors gradual fade brought upon the rest of a humanity a horror like no other.
A lot of the films in this list condemn such happening, making a statement against war, some emphasizing on the horror, others on the humanity through it, and some both. Others use the tragedy as glimpse in the lives of those who are forever changed by it. Here’s a closer look to the best World War One films.
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10 The African Queen
United Artists
The great Humphrey Bogart got his only Oscar for this wild and delightful John Huston adventure. The African Queen pairs Bogey with another titanic figure of classic Hollywood in Katharine Hepburn. The film is about an alcoholic boat captain and a determined missionary in German East Africa, and their plan to sink a German warship patrolling a river so that British troops can attack.
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Even more than its powerhouse performances and cinematic magic from Bogart and Hepburn, the movie finds its strength in a sturdy idealism in the face of daunting times, choosing to believe in the best of people and their capability to grow.
9 Sergeant York
Warner Bros.
Sergeant York explored the conflict at a man’s heart between duty and ideology. As one of the most famous soldiers in WWI, the life of Alvin York (seen through the Academy Award-winning performance of Gary Cooper) is explored from his humble roots in Tennessee, his conversion to Christianity, and subsequent war achievements. Though now seen as a propaganda piece, the first half of the movie is beautiful at questioning what makes someone, even a religious man, ultimately choose to go kill in the name of country.
8 Wings
Paramount Pictures
The first ever recipient of the Academy Award for Best Picture is as mesmerizing today as it was in 1927. Wings is a groundbreaking achievement in cinematography; its seemingly impossible long-shots, aerial combat sequences, and excellent performances make it hold up to this day. It may not hold a big political statement, but its magnificent cinematic achievements marked a before and after point in history and inspired countless other artists to find a way to talk about the war.
7 Paths Of Glory
The first Stanley Kubrick film to really showcase his strengths as a filmmaker. His precise observation of war, makes a high contrast from the courts and the trenches, from the high officers’ mansions to the cramped spaces soldiers must be in. Highly smart use of visual imagery and sound design complement an excellent film that is both a courtroom drama and ode against senseless slaughter. Paths Of Glory finds Kirk Douglas as an officer defending three of his soldiers in court-martial after their refusal to go on a suicide mission.
6 1917
Universal Pictures
Sam Mendes’ grandfather’s WWI memories fueled the technically amazing odyssey that is 1917. The brilliant editing and cinematography by mastermind Roger Deakins make the film appear as two long continuous shots, which aim to highlight the visual tension of the frontline and trenches present in the war. The plot follows two British soldiers charged with delivering an urgent message to call off an ill-fated offensive.
5 A Farewell to Arms
20th Century Fox
A Farewell to Arms leaves some of the hard-edged nature of Hemingway’s novel in favor of an artistic exploration of love during wartime. A tragic romance between an American soldier and a British nurse is placed on top of its context; yes the war is raging, yes there is tragedy, but the intention of the film is to put love on top of it. A Farewell to Arms is not denying the conflict, but stating that the power of human emotion for caring should overcome its potential for destruction.
4 All Quiet on the Western Front
Erich Maria Remarque’s experiences in the trenches inspired his 1928 anti-war novel All Quiet on the Western Front, adapted for the screen two years later. Through his second Academy Award-winning direction, Lewis Milestone wonderfully conducts his cast through the darkest corners of the human experience. The film tells the story of German schoolboys prompted to enlist for war by their enthusiastic teacher. They experience deep disappointment, pain, and horror when the war they experience is not the one they thought it would be.
3 The Grand Illusion
World Pictures
The great Jean Renoir’s timeless study of social classes during wartime is a timeless cinematic gem, a plea to return to a time of more civility. Deciding to focus on social cues, differentiation, and human bonds over the violence and horror of war, The Grand Illusion makes a strong declaration on the futility of conflict, pleading for a more humanistic view over divergence. This is explored through the experiences shared by French officers in prison camps as they deal with their sociocultural differences as well as their relationship with the German captors.
2 Lawrence Of Arabia
Columbia Pictures
“Young men make wars, and the virtues of war are the virtues of young men: courage, and hope for the future. Then old men make the peace, and the vices of peace are the vices of old men: mistrust and caution” These words of Alec Guinness’ protagonist Prince Faisal, near the end of this four-hour epic, sum up the heartbreak and contradiction found at T.E. Lawrence’s soul after his aid to the Arabian fight against the Ottoman Empire.
1 They Shall Not Grow Old
Filmmaker Peter Jackson’s devotion to history and conservation of cinema has given the world a more detailed and conscious look at the tragedy that happened over a century ago. They Shall Not Grow Old is a restoration of WWI archival footage that delivers a haunting portrait of a time that should never be forgotten. An intimate look into the lives of soldiers, the documentary focuses precisely on how it felt to be there rather than creating a recount of the war, making it the most human and relevant look at the Great War.
